Children’s Eyes: An Introduction
Healthcare providers/staff who mainly provide services for adults, and only occasionally see children, often do not feel confident to interact with children with eye/vision problems and their families. This course aims to introduce the learner to the basic concepts of paediatric ophthalmology, in order to give them confidence when approaching children.
Course aims
- support clinicians/clinic staff who wish to develop their skills and build their confidence when working with infants and children
- support clinicians’ awareness of vision screening programmes, normal/abnormal development of eyes and vision, developmental and acquired eye/vision conditions in children, and the holistic need of the child with sight problems and their family
- introduce clinicians to common eye conditions in children and to enable them to make appropriate referral decisions for infants and children
You can hear more from the course lead by watching the short video below:
Course Structure
This is an online course which includes 8 hours (16 units) of self-paced online learning and 2 hours of synchronous online webinar to conclude.
The course will be available to start from 1st March 2021. However, due its self-paced nature, you are free to book your place and begin your learning at any point after that date.
The synchronous webinar will be repeated on different dates as people complete the course. It is not possible to confirm dates for the webinars at this stage - the first webinar will be held when a reasonable number of people have completed all of the units. We anticipate that this is likely to be early May. We plan to offer evening and weekend options to give people flexibility.
- Unit 1: Normal child development
- Unit 2: Developmental disabilities
- Unit 3: Communicating with children and families
- Unit 4: Safeguarding children
- Unit 5: Normal refractive development
- Unit 6: Normal visual development
- Unit 7: Abnormal refractive development; colour vision deficiency
- Unit 8: Abnormal visual development: strabismus, amblyopia
- Unit 9: Developmental eye conditions
- Unit 10: Vision Screening; Assessing eye alignment and eye movements
- Unit 11: Taking the history
- Unit 12: Testing vision in children
- Unit 13: Refraction, prescribing and dispensing glasses and contact lenses
- Unit 14: Assessing children’s eye health
- Unit 15: Common eye conditions in children
- Unit 16: Children and research
Who should apply?
The course is suitable for Eye clinic nurses, A&E nurses, Paediatric nurses, Eye clinic imaging technicians, Trainee optometrists, Trainee orthoptists, Trainee eye doctors, GPs, Associate specialists and ophthalmologists working in general ophthalmology, Researchers working with children with eye/vision problems.
Benefits of attending
Attending this course will enable you to demonstrate:
- knowledge of typical visual development and common developmental vision problems
- knowledge of vision screening pathways
- an ability to effectively communicate with infants, children and their parents or carers
- an ability to obtain infants’/children’s and personal and family history
- knowledge of basic tests and techniques to assess vision in infants and children, appropriate for age
- knowledge of how to examine eye health in infants and children
- an awareness of the visual problems in infants and children with developmental disabilities
- basic knowledge of tests for glasses and spectacle prescribing and dispensing for infants and children
- an awareness into the key issues surrounding safeguarding children from child abuse and the ability to recognise and deal with the issues that might arise in clinical practice
Accreditation
CPD points and a certificate of attendance will be awarded at the end of the course.
Requirement
In order to access the programme online, you will need access to a computer (laptop or desktop). To take part in the webinar you will need a device with a webcam and microphone.
Book Now
| Date | Location | Time | Seats | Price | |
| Course available from 01/03/2021 | Online | 5 | £450.00 |
Course fees
Location
Taught by
Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor
Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor is the Director of the Children’s Service and the Clinical Trials Lead for Paediatric Ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, UK, and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor in Ophthalmology at University College London, UK. Her clinical practice includes paediatric ophthalmology and ocular motility and neuro-ophthalmology in children and adults. Her research interests include myopia, amblyopia, and rare vision disorders and support strategies for children and families
Katherine Anguige
Katherine Anguige completed pre-registration at St James's hospital, Leeds, which fuelled her passion for hospital optometry. She has worked at Moorfields since 2009 in a range of clinics including adult and paediatric refraction, low vision, contact lenses, glaucoma, general ophthalmology, medical retina and paediatric extended role.
Katherine has completed the College of Optometrists Professional Cert in Paediatric Eye Care, and Higher Cert in Glaucoma. She is also a registered independent prescriber and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership.
Katherine is responsible for running the Paediatric Optometry service in Moorfields. She is passionate about the development of our workforce and strongly believes that optometrists will continue to work at the forefront of paediatric eyecare, both in primary and secondary care settings, especially in these changing and challenging times.
Katherine is interested in visual problems in developmental disorders and learning difficulties, and the provision of eyecare to this population, and has been involved in eye screening within special needs schools and setting up adults with learning difficulties clinics, as well as being a Moorfields safeguarding champion.
Dr Dionysios Alexandrou
Dionysios Alexandrou is a Consultant Paediatrician and the Named Doctor for Safeguarding Children at Moorfields NHS Trust. His clinical practice includes all aspects of general paediatric care. He has an extensive experience in neonatal medicine, during his work as consultant neonatologist in major level-3 regional neonatal units in London & Canada. His research interests are focused in lung development during late fetal and early neonatal life, and more specifically the dynamics of lung liquid and ion transport around birth.
Dr Siobhán Ludden
Siobhán Ludden is a joint Clinical Specialist and Research Orthoptist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. Upon graduation from the University of Sheffield in 2011 she began working as a full time clinical orthoptist at Moorfields before moving into a research capacity. In 2014 Siobhán moved to the University of Reading to undertake her PhD research, investigating ocular accommodation in typical children and its relationship with educational attainment and attention. Siobhán’s present research focus includes amblyopia treatment, accommodation, clinical examination techniques and visual crowding.
Emma MacVeigh
Emma is a Specialist Optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. Upon graduation from Cardiff University in 2015, she completed her pre-registration year at Moorfields Eye Hospital, continuing her further training there as a Resident Optometrist. At present she works in a range of extended role clinics including glaucoma, corneal, urgent care and paediatrics. She received a College of Optometrists grant in 2019 to jointly undertake a research project with Dr Siobhán Ludden which is ongoing. This involves the testing of a new visual acuity chart – The Auckland Optotypes - in children with Amblyopia.
Avani Rughani
Avani is a Specialist Optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital working in several core and extended role clinics since 2012. She has experience working in a variety of paediatric clinics, including Optom/Orthoptic led Children’s Vision Clinics. Avani is currently undertaking Independent Prescribing Qualifications.
Julie Broadbent
Julie is a Specialist Optometrist at Moorfields Eye Hospital. She joined the Optometry Department in 1991 and was the first Optometrist to work in the joint Orthoptic/Optometrist led Children’s Vision Clinics 1996 onwards. She become Paediatric Lead for Optometry to 2009. Julie has completed the Professional Certificate in Paediatric Eye Care.